Razor shell
Ensis arcuatis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Order:	Veneroida
Family:	Pharidae
Genus:	Ensis
Species:	E. arcuatus
Binomial name
Ensis arcuatus (Jeffreys, 1865)

Solen marginatus

Razor shells, also called razor clams, are bivalves with the shape of an old-fashioned cut-throat razor. They use their shells to work into the sand and hide beneath the surface.

Ensis, of the family Pharidae, is found on sandy beaches in Northern Europe and Eastern Canada, such as Prince Edward Island. Ensis arcuatus prefers coarser sand than its relatives E. ensis and E. siliqua.

There is also another family of razor shells, the Solenidae. Some think Solen and Ensis are close relatives, and some think they are similar because of convergent evolution. The matter will probably be made clear by sequence analysis in the furure.